DEOHS responds to COVID-19 | Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences

How our research is contributing to the public health response

Experts at the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences are actively engaged in COVID-19 research and service activities to help protect workers and build resilient communities during the global pandemic.

Our impact

Three people with face masks on stand in front of a fence with houses in background. Person in middle holds a clipboard and pen, person on right gives a peace sign and is wearing a t-shirt that reads "SERVE LOCAL."

Where you live could influence your COVID-19 risk

King County neighborhoods with highest COVID-19 rates also face higher air pollution and socioeconomic inequities, DEOHS research shows

Pandher, wearing a face mask, standing next to a sidewalk with evergreens in the background.

Protecting Washington workers in the pandemic

DEOHS environmental health major responds to workers' concerns about COVID-19 and more while interning with Washington State Department of Labor & Industries

Two cars driving on otherwise empty Interstate 5 going over Snoqualmie Pass in Washington state, with roadside sign reading "STAYING HOME IS SAVING LIVES. KEEP IT UP WA!"

Measuring the pandemic’s impact on air pollution

Harmful air pollution dropped in Seattle after the COVID-19 shutdown, DEOHS-led team shows

Peterson standing in front of a canyon in the Badlands.

Protecting health in the Great Plains

DEOHS environmental health major takes on the COVID-19 crisis and more while interning with the Indian Health Service

A woman picks yellow flowers in a field.

Collaborating for health equity

DEOHS awarded three COVID-19 health equity research grants from the UW Population Health Initiative

Alexandria Vingino standing in front of a lake and mountain, with a cloth face mask in hand.

Why are there drug-resistant bacteria in seal poop?

MPH student Alexandria Vingino and collaborators find antibiotic-resistant E. coli in the waste of some marine mammals around Puget Sound

In the news

Seattle becomes first U.S. city to permanently require sick leave for delivery and app-based workers

March 28, 2023 | GeekWire | Featured: Marissa Baker View

‘It’s a very difficult thing to pin down’: Did Covid-19 originate from a ‘lab leak’?

March 19, 2023 | The Independent | Featured: Gerard A. Cangelosi View

Survey shows food insecurity remains high in Washington state

March 8, 2023 | KOMO News | Featured: Jennifer Otten View

Current status of COVID-19 in Washington

March 7, 2023 | King 5 News | Featured: Gerard A. Cangelosi View

Food insecurity persists in WA, just as emergency benefits expire

February 28, 2023 | Seattle Times | Featured: Jennifer Otten View